Mediterranean Veggie Subs

I love a great roasted vegetable sandwich. Pair it with a creamy cheese, crusty bread and tangy dressing and you've met my best friend in the lunching world. This version came about with a few odds and ends on hand and little desire to even order take-out, let alone make a whole dinner. The flavors are bold, textures are interesting and substantial enough for a full fledged dinner without any additional sides.  Even the worst cooks could make this one happen.

Mediterranean Vegetable Subs (for 2 or 4, depending on how much you want to share)

• 1 french (or other favorite) baguette
• 2 oz goat cheese, room temperature (I take it out of the fridge before I start on the zucchini)
• 8 sundried tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1 medium-large zucchini
• 1 roasted red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus a little extra for drizzling)
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar

Slice the sundried tomatoes and place in a small bowl. Combine olive oil and balsamic and marinate the tomatoes while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch steaks. I usually cut the ends off of the zucchini first, then slice the whole thing in half cross-wise and make the steaks from those halves (I find it easier to work with half the length of a full zucchini.) You should get about 8-10 pieces of zucchini. Place the zucchini in a griddle pan in a single layer over medium heat and season with salt & pepper for about 5 minutes (this depends on the thickness of your zucchini). Once starting to caramelize on one side,  flip the zucchini (if you want, now is a good time to lightly drizzle with some olive oil), season again with salt & pepper and cook for about another 5 minutes until caramelized and tender. Remove from the pan. 

While you're cooking the zucchini drain a roasted red pepper on some sheets of paper towel to remove the extra oil. Slice open your baguette and smear the goat cheese along the whole length of the bread on one side (I usually do the top portion). On the opposite side (obviously, I use the bottom) spread the sundried tomato and balsamic mixture. Place the zucchini on the side with the goat cheese end to end (usually ends up being a double layer of zucchini). Lastly slice the red pepper and position it between the zucchini and 

sundried tomato layer.

 Close the sandwich, cut in half crosswise and hoard the bigger half for yourself.